A systematic review and meta-synthesis of ethics of teaching in nursing education

Ethics of teaching is a core component of nursing education, influencing students' moral reasoning, professional identity, and readiness for clinical practice. This systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis synthesizes the perspectives and experiences of nursing students and educators regarding ethics of teaching within increasingly complex and culturally diverse educational environments. Following the Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research (ENTREQ) guidelines, seven databases were searched without date limits: PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Qualitative studies were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Qualitative Checklist, and thematic synthesis was conducted using Thomas and Harden's three-stage approach. From 9 included studies, 12 descriptive themes were integrated into six analytical categories: Caring Teaching, Safe and Supportive Learning, Student Empowerment, Fairness, Trust and Responsibility, and Honesty and Openness. These findings illustrate the multidimensional and context-dependent nature of ethics in teaching and highlight how cultural, relational, and institutional contexts shape ethical teaching practices. This review provides practical recommendations to strengthen ethics in nursing education across policy, institutional, and classroom levels.